Bush greets Obama at Houston airport

Updated 11:34 pm, Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Former President George H.W. Bush welcomes President Obama
and first lady Michelle Obama at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on April 9.

Former President George H.W. Bush welcomes President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on April 9.

Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP/Getty Images

Image 2 of 19

Bush and the Obamas

Bush and the Obamas

Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP/Getty Images

Image 3 of 19

Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP/Getty Images

Image 4 of 19

Obama greets the crowd at Bush airport.

Obama greets the crowd at Bush airport.

Photo: Bob Levey, Associated Press

Image 5 of 19

Former US President George H. W. Bush greets US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as they arrive at Intercontinental Airport on April 9, 2014 in Houston, Texas. Obama, who attended a memorial service at Fort Hood, is in Houston to attend two fund raisers for the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKIBRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images less

Former US President George H. W. Bush greets US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as they arrive at Intercontinental Airport on April 9, 2014 in Houston, Texas. Obama, who attended a memorial ... more

Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP/Getty Images

Image 6 of 19

The Obamas at Bush airport.

The Obamas at Bush airport.

Photo: Bob Levey, Associated Press

Image 7 of 19

Former President George H.W. Bush welcomes President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Former President George H.W. Bush welcomes President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Photo: Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press

Image 8 of 19

The Obamas at Bush airport.

The Obamas at Bush airport.

Photo: Bob Levey, Associated Press

Image 9 of 19

Air Force One at Bush airport.

Air Force One at Bush airport.

Photo: Bob Levey, Associated Press

Image 10 of 19

Thanks to the presidential motorcade, Pease Street off Louisiana near the Crown Plaza Hotel was closed.

Thanks to the presidential motorcade, Pease Street off Louisiana near the Crown Plaza Hotel was closed.

Photo: Melissa Phillip

Image 11 of 19

City dump trucks block open areas along Louisiana at Pease during Obama's visit to Houston.

City dump trucks block open areas along Louisiana at Pease during Obama's visit to Houston.

Photo: Melissa Phillip

Image 12 of 19

Traffic is shown barely moving on Smith, where the street is closed because of the Obamas' visit.

Traffic is shown barely moving on Smith, where the street is closed because of the Obamas' visit.

Photo: Melissa Phillip

Image 13 of 19

Smith Street is shown closed near the Crown Plaza Hotel during the Obamas' visit.

Smith Street is shown closed near the Crown Plaza Hotel during the Obamas' visit.

Photo: Melissa Phillip

Image 14 of 19

Traffic is shown barely moving on Smith.

Traffic is shown barely moving on Smith.

Photo: Melissa Phillip

Image 15 of 19

The traffic headache along Louisiana at Bell.

The traffic headache along Louisiana at Bell.

Photo: Melissa Phillip

Image 16 of 19

Police stand at Smith and Pease, where the streets are closed for the Obamas.

Police stand at Smith and Pease, where the streets are closed for the Obamas.

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Chronicle

Image 17 of 19

Police stand at Smith and Pease, where the streets are closed for the Obamas.

Police stand at Smith and Pease, where the streets are closed for the Obamas.

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Chronicle

Image 18 of 19

Shonty Hubbard, left, Ashlee Jones and Olu Shoyinka stand at the corner of Jefferson and Smith, hoping to get a glimpse of the president.

Shonty Hubbard, left, Ashlee Jones and Olu Shoyinka stand at the corner of Jefferson and Smith, hoping to get a glimpse of the president.

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Chronicle

Image 19 of 19

Bush greets Obama at Houston airport

1 / 19

Back to Gallery

When President Barack Obama arrived in Houston about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, former President George H.W. Bush was there to greet him.

"When the president comes to your hometown, you show up to meet him," said Bush, who chatted with Obama and the first lady for about five minutes at the foot of the steps next to Air Force One at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

After the meeting, Obama headed to a fundraiser at the home of another trial lawyer, John Eddie Williams.

Couples would pay about $65,000 to have dinner with the president. Some local Houston dignitaries and a former governor attended the event, and the president used the pricey gathering to rally supporters ahead of mid-term elections, HoustonChronicle.com reports.

Earlier in the day, Obama attended a memorial service at Fort Hood, site of another mass shooting last week. He's flying to Austin on Thursday to address a civil rights gathering.

Smith at Clay Street, and Interstate 45 southbound access to Jefferson closed at noon Wednesday. Both will reopen at noon Thursday.

Portions of Pease and Brazos will also be closed, Metro said.

At 7:20 p.m., two police officers were positioned at each intersection on Kirby, between Memorial and San Felipe.

At Star Pizza west of the Montrose area, the presidential visit meant canceling delivery orders for several customers, the restaurant manager said.

"Him being in town has hurt our delivery," said Jimmy Edwards, manager of the restaurant on Norfolk near the Southwest Freeway.

Edwards said heavy traffic and road closures meant deliveries could not be made to customers in West University and River Oaks, where the fundraiser was scheduled. He focused on deliveries in the Montrose area.

The headache started about 4 p.m., Edwards said, when drivers complained that delayed delivery times were ruining the pizza.

"One West U driver took him over an hour," he said. "We could not get to our customers."

After about seven or eight such episodes, he started calling customers who had placed orders to tell them their dinner would not arrive.

Most people understood, he said.

"The customers were pleasant about it to us," he said.

And while deliveries were getting back to normal about 8:20 p.m., the business paled compared with a regular Wednesday night.

Seven deliveries were scheduled, when 20 is the norm, he said.

Officials do not disclose the president's route or scheduled road closings for safety reasons, said Cynthia Marble, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Houston office.

"I can tell you we are doing everything we can to minimize the impact," Marble said. "It is not for a long period of time."

Marble said delays are inevitable. The good news for travelers is the closings are relatively brief. Local police and the Secret Service close roads, then reopen them after the motorcade speeds through the route.

The motorcade, which varies in size depending on the event and who accompanies the president, can reach speeds that might arouse jealousy in commuters who often get stuck on Loop 610.

The best way to avoid the melee of congestion around the motorcade is check online — at houstontranstar.org, for example — for traffic information shortly before taking a trip.

Latest from the Chron.com Homepage

Click below for the top news from around the Houston area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.